Most car buyers are thinking “Buy American” — new survey

Some 81 percent of would-be auto buyers who took part in a national survey conducted by Consumer Reports, the non-profit monthly magazine, said they were “likely to consider a domestic brand,” the magazine said a few days ago.

Asian brands piqued the interest of only 47 percent of potential car buyers and European brands were even lower, at 46 percent.

Ford got the nod as the domestic brand most favored of the Big Three U.S. auto makers, the survey reported. General Motors cars were slightly less favored, but Chrysler cars and trucks were shunned — compared with one year ago, the idea of buying a Chrysler product was down 25 percent with new car buyers.

The dash of cold water in the car purchasing world, however, comes with the survey’s finding that “only nine percent of those interviewed are likely to buy a car in the next year,” compared with 19 percent of “new-car buyers in a June 2008 survey.” In fact, of those looking to buy a car these days, 61 percent are looking for a used vehicle.